Report: Trent Rockets Men v Birmingham Phoenix Men

Trent Rockets 116-3 beat Birmingham Phoenix 111-6 by seven wickets.

2026-08-05T21:00+01:00

Birmingham Phoenix fell to defeat against Trent Rockets as a challenging evening with the bat left them with too much to do in Nottingham.

Phoenix reached 25-1 after the opening 25 balls, with Mitch Owen falling to Mohammad Amir, who was forced to leave the field immediately afterwards with a strained hamstring.

Smeed was eventually dismissed for 6 from 16 balls as Phoenix found scoring difficult against a disciplined Rockets attack. Spinners Calvin Harrison and Mitchell Santner, alongside Lewis Gregory, kept the pressure on throughout the innings.

Joe Clarke once again led the way with the bat, producing a composed 62 from 47 deliveries after reaching his half-century in 37 balls. Laurie Evans was the only other Phoenix batter to reach double figures as the visitors closed on 111-6 from their 100 balls. Clarke's dismissal also saw Craig Overton claim his fourth catch of the innings, setting a new men's Hundred record.

Defending 112 was always going to require early breakthroughs, but Ben Duckett and Finn Allen gave the home side a solid platform. Mystery spinner Usman Tariq impressed with figures that included the wicket of Duckett for 22, celebrating with his trademark bow, while conceding just six runs from his opening 10 balls.

Nye Donald briefly injected momentum with a rapid 17 from six deliveries, but Allen and Sam Billings calmly guided the chase towards its conclusion. Billings accelerated with two sixes off Saqib Mahmood before Phoenix's hopes ended when he struck another maximum to seal victory with 17 balls remaining.